Denver — Chipotle Mexican Grill’s board of directors has appointed Brian Niccol as chief executive officer and a member of the board, effective March 5, 2018. Niccol most recently served as CEO of Yum! Brands’ Taco Bell division, where he was responsible for the highly successful turnaround of the business.
CEO
Dallas — BRIX Holdings, LLC has named long-time operations executive Craig Erlich as CEO, effective immediately. The current BRIX Holdings franchise portfolio includes the Red Mango® Yogurt Café Smoothie & Juice Bar, Smoothie Factory® Juice Bar, RedBrick Pizza® Kitchen Cafe, Souper Salad® and Greenz® chains.
Houston — Mattress Firm, Inc., the nation’s largest specialty mattress retailer, has announced that Ken Murphy will step down as CEO and president and Steve Stagner, executive chairman and chairman of the board, will assume the additional responsibilities of CEO effective March 1.
Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. has promoted its president, Steve Ritchie, to chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2018. Ritchie began his Papa John’s career more than 20 years ago as an hourly customer service representative.
Wichita, Kan. — Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has named Randy Simon as its next CEO & president. He will lead the company he co-founded more than 15 years ago with his brother Bill, father Freddy and business partner Scott Redler. He rejoins the company from Panera.
Shanghai — Yum China Holdings, Inc.’s chief executive officer, Micky Pant, will transition to vice chairman and senior advisor. Joey Wat, who currently serves as president and chief operating officer, will succeed Pant as CEO of Yum China. The succession plan will take effect on March 1, 2018.
Pittsburgh — The board of directors of GNC Holdings, Inc., a leading global specialty retailer of health and wellness products, has appointed Ken Martindale as its permanent chief executive officer. Martindale succeeds interim CEO Bob Moran, who has been elected non-executive chairman of the GNC board.
Seattle — Sur La Table, a leading retail destination since 1972 for those passionate about cooking and entertaining, has appointed Billy May as chief executive officer. May, a fourth-generation retailer, will also join the board of directors. He succeeds Diane Neal who retired earlier this year.